Knockdown display stand

ABSTRACT

A display stand displays an object at an elevation above a supporting surface, but is easily disassembled for storage and transport in a compact configuration. The stand includes two upright panels which are engaged crosswise at aligned vertical slots in the panels, and an inclined upper panel that rests on the upper edges of the upright panels and supports the object. One of the upright panels has a tab that projects through the inclined panel. A pin extends through the tab and over the inclined panel to prevent the three panels from separating. The pin may also serve as a stop to prevent the displayed object from sliding off the inclined panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to the display objects and moreparticularly to a knockdown display stand for displaying merchandise orother objects.

Stands, often one foot or less tall, are used to present objects, suchas goods for sale, above a supporting surface where other objects may bepresented. The stand elevates the objects that are presented on it,making them more pronounced and perhaps distinguishing them from theobjects on the lower supporting surface. Such stands can be heavy andbulky, and thus are not easily stored or transported.

For example, footwear that is offered for sale in shoe stores anddepartments often appears on display stands called shoe risers. Thesedevices elevate the footwear above a supporting surface, such as atabletop or counter on which the device rests, and make the footwearmore visible to customers. At least the elevated footwear stands apartfrom other objects, which may include more footwear, on the supportingsurface. The typical riser can take the form of a simple cube, whetherformed from paperboard or wood. Then again, it may be a metal standformed perhaps as a weldment, or it may be formed from wood or a polymerwith a sculpted configuration.

Salesmen for shoe companies that manufacture or acquire footwear fromother sources also rely on shoe risers for displaying footwear topotential buyers of such footwear. Typically, a salesman will set up adisplay in a hotel room or conference center or perhaps at a conventionsite, and that display, like displays in conventional shoe stores, willhave footwear presented on a horizontal supporting surface and morefootwear presented somewhat higher on shoe risers. The display, however,is temporary, and accordingly, the salesman must transport not only thefootwear to the display site, but the risers as well. Often the salesmanwill use a large bag for this purpose. The footwear transports withrelative ease but the risers, often being heavy and bulky, do not.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe riser constructed in accordancewith and embodying the present invention, with the riser displaying apair of shoes;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled shoe riser;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the riser; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the riser in a knocked downconfiguration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, a display stand in the form of a shoeriser A (FIGS. 1 & 2) displays footwear, such as shoes B, in an elevatedposition above a supporting surface 2, which may be a table orcountertop or a simple display ledge or shelf. Moreover, the shoes B arepresented at an angle so that their features are better observed. Theriser A, while providing more than adequate surface area to support theshoes B, is easily disassembled and converted into a highly compactconfiguration suitable for transport and storage (FIG. 5).

The shoe riser A supports footwear of a wide variety of configurations,but is best suited for the type of footwear that has a pronounced heel 4(FIG. 1) and a sole 6 leading away from the heel 4. In this type offootwear, the heel 4 has a generally vertical breast 8 along the frontof the heel 4. Most dress shoes and many casual shoes have thesefeatures. But the shoe riser A can also display other types of footwear,such as sandals, moccasins, slippers and sneakers, that have lesspronounced heels. Indeed, the typical sneaker has its heel integratedinto its sole to form a so-called outsole, and the same holds true formany casual shoes as well.

The shoe riser A basically includes (FIG. 2) a pair of upright panels 12and 14, the former being oriented longitudinally and the lattertransversely, and an inclined upper panel 16 supported on the uprightpanels 12 and 14. In addition, the riser A has a retaining element inthe form of a pin 18 which holds the three panels 12, 14 and 16 togetherand further prevents the shoes B from sliding down and off the inclinedpanel 16. Yet the pin 18 may be easily removed to allow separation ofthe panels 12, 14 and 16, so that they may be stored one over the other(FIG. 5) and thus occupy considerably less space. All three panels 12,14 and 16 are preferably formed from a transparent polymer, such asacrylic, that is about 3/16 or ¼ inches thick, although the thickness isnot critical.

The longitudinal upright panel 12 has (FIGS. 3 & 4) a horizontal bottomedge 22 and an inclined upper edge 24, with the inclination of the upperedge 24 relative to the bottom edge 22 being between about 45° and 90°and preferably 60°. The panel 12 also has front and rear end edges 26and 28 that rise upwardly from the bottom edge 22 and are preferablyparallel, all such that the panel 12 possesses a generally trapezoidalconfiguration. The inclined upper edge 24 leads down to the front endedge 26 where the two edges 24 and 26 intersect. At its upper end, theinclined edge intersects a locking tab 30 that extends out to the rearend edge 28. The locking tab 30 contains an aperture 32. Generallymidway between its front and rear edges 26 and 28 the panel 12 has avertical slot 34 that opens out of the inclined upper edge 24, yet isperpendicular to the bottom edge 22. The slot 34 is slightly wider thanthe thickness of transverse upright panel 14. Finally, between its slot34 and the front end edge 26, the panel 12 has a locating projection 36that interrupts the inclined upper edge 24, projecting upwardly from itno higher than the thickness of the inclined panel 16.

While the longitudinal upright panel 12 is generally trapezoidal, thetransverse upright panel 14 is rectangular. It has (FIG. 4) a horizontalbottom edge 40 and an upper edge 42 that lies parallel to the bottomedge 40 and is thus likewise horizontal. The bottom and top edges 40 and42 lead out to side edges 44 that are preferably parallel, but need notbe. The panel 14 contains a vertical slot 46 that opens out of thebottom edge 40 and lies perpendicular to it. The slot 46 is slightlywider than the thickness of the longitudinal panel 42.

The two upright panels 12 and 14 fit together perpendicular to eachother with the transverse upright panel 14 received in the slot 34 ofthe longitudinal upright panel 12, and with the longitudinal uprightpanel 12 received in the slot 46 of the transverse upright panel 14(FIGS. 2 & 4). The slots 34 and 46 are long enough to enable the bottomedge 40 of the transverse upright 14 to reach the bottom edge 22 of thelongitudinal upright panel 12, so that the two bottom edges 22 and 40lie in the same plane. That plane is the supporting surface 2 on whichthe two upright panels 12 and 14 rest, and the panels 12 and 14 projectupwardly perpendicular to it. With the two panels 12 and 14 so disposed,the upper edge 42 of the transverse panel 14 intersects the inclined topedge 24 of the longitudinal panel 12, that is to say, the upper edges 24and 42 lie in essentially the same inclined plane.

The inclined upper panel 16 rests on and is supported by the two uprightpanels 12 and 14 (FIGS. 2 & 4). Preferably it possesses a rectangularconfiguration, having parallel front and rear edges 50 and 52 andparallel side edges 54. The spacing between the side edges 54 equals thespacing between the side edges 44 of the transverse panel 14, althoughit may be greater. The spacing between the front and rear edges 50 and52 exceeds the spacing between the front and rear edges 26 and 28 of thelongitudinal upright panels 12 measured along the inclined upper edge24. Midway between its side edges 54, the inclined panel 16 contains anopening 56 in the form of a slot that is closed at both ends and islarge enough to receive the tab 30 on the longitudinal upright panel 12.Also located midway between the side edges 54 is a locating socket 58that is large enough to receive the locating projection 36 on thelongitudinal upright panel 12. Indeed, the spacing between the opening56 and the socket 58 in the inclined panel 16 corresponds to the spacingbetween the tab 30 and locating projection 36 along the inclined upperedge 24 of the longitudinal upright panel 12.

The inclined panel 16 rests on the inclined upper edge 24 of thelongitudinal upright panel 12 and in the horizontal upper edge 42 of thetransverse upright panel 14, with its opening 56 receiving the tab 30 onthe longitudinal panel 12 and its socket 58 receiving the projection 36likewise on the panel 12. The opening 56 and socket 58 allow theinclined upper panel 16 to rest against the inclined upper edge 24 ofthe longitudinal upright panel 12. With the upper inclined panel 16 sodisposed, the aperture 32 in the tab 30 of the longitudinal uprightpanel 12 lies slightly above or at least no lower than the upper surfaceof the inclined upper panel 16.

The pin 18 fits through the aperture 32 in the tab 30 of thelongitudinal upright panel 12 and lies slightly over or against theupper surface of the inclined upper panel 16, projecting equidistantlyfrom each side of the tab 30 (FIG. 2). Here it prevents the inclinedupper panel 16 from separating from the two upright panels 22 and 14,which in turn, prevents the upright panels 12 and 14 from separating. Italso provides a stop against which the heels 4 of the shoes B at theirbreasts 8 may bear to prevent the shoes B from sliding downwardly offthe inclined panel 16 (FIG. 1).

The shoe riser A is stored and transported in a knocked down conditionin which its three panels 12, 14 and 16 are stacked one over the otherand with its pin 18 nearby (FIG. 5). To erect the shoe riser A (FIG. 4),one places the longitudinal panel 12 in an upright position, preferablywith its bottom edge 22 resting on the supporting surface 2. Thereupon,the slot 46 of the transverse panel 14 is aligned with the slot 34 inlongitudinal panel 12, and the two panels 12 and 14 are brought togetherand engaged, all such that the slot 46 in the transverse panel 14receives the longitudinal panel 12 and the slot 34 in the longitudinalpanel 12 receives the transverse panel 14. When fully engaged, the twopanels 12 and 14 are oriented crosswise with respect to eachother—indeed, perpendicular—and have their bottom edges 22 and 40coplaner. The upper edges 24 and 42 are likewise coplanar, occupying aplane that is inclined with respect to the supporting surface 2.

Thereupon, the inclined panel 16 is lowered toward the upper edges 24and 42 on the upright panels 12 and 14 such that the opening 56 on theinclined panel 16 receives the tab 30 on the upright panel 12 and thesocket 58 receives the projection 36. The inclined panel 16 comes torest on the upper edges 24 and 42 of the upright panel 12 and 14. Thetab 30 of the longitudinal upright panel 12 projects through theinclined panel 16 with its aperture 32 exposed above the inclined panel24. The pin 18 is inserted through the aperture 32, and it locks allthree panels 12, 14 and 16 together.

The shoes B are then placed on the inclined upper panel 16 with theheels 4 of the shoes B resting on the panel 16 above the transverselyextending pin 18 and the soles 6 of the shoes B resting against thepanel 16 below the pin 18 (FIG. 1). The breasts 8 along the fronts ofthe heels 4 bear against the pin 18. In that manner the pin 18 preventsthe shoes B from sliding down and off the inclined panel 16. If a shoe,such as a sneaker, does not have a pronounced heel, a push pin may beinserted into the extended outsole of such a shoe to provide adownwardly directed projection that engages the transversely directedpin 18.

The shoe riser A is disassembled in the reverse of the foregoingsequence. To free the pin 18 for easy removal, the inclined panel 16 maybe raised upwardly at its front edge 50 such that the panel 16 pivots onthe upper edge 24 of the longitudinal upright panel 12 immediately aheadof the tab 30. This causes the area of the panel 16 at and behind thetab 30 to swing downwardly and provides greater clearance between thetab aperture 32 and the inclined panel 16.

The shoe riser A, which is actually a display stand, may support othermerchandise that is offered for sale. Indeed, it may be used to supporta wide variety of objects irrespective of whether they are goods thatare offered for sale. For example, it could be used to display objectsat a museum. The upper panel 16 may be inclined at a lesser angle, orfor that matter may be horizontal. Where the pin 18 is not required toretain an object on the upper panel 16, it may take the form of aretaining element of diminished size.

1. A display stand comprising: a first upright panel; a second uprightpanel engaged with the first panel so that the upper edges of the firstand second panels are presented upwardly and generally crosswise, thesecond panel being easily detachable from the first panel; a third panelengaged with the first panel and supported on the upper edges of thefirst and second panels to provide a surface that is presented upwardlyfor supporting an object, the third panel being easily detachable fromthe first panel.
 2. A display stand according to claim 1 wherein thefirst panel in part projects above the third panel; and furthercomprising a retaining element extended through the first panel and overthe third panel.
 3. A display stand according to claim 2 wherein thethird panel is inclined with respect to the horizontal.
 4. A displaystand according to claim 1 wherein the first panel has a tab thatprojects beyond its upper edge and through the third panel; and furthercomprising a pin that projects through the tab and over the third panelto prevent the third panel from being separated from the first andsecond panels, the pin being easily removable from the tab.
 5. A displaystand according to claim 4 wherein the first panel has a projection thatis directed upwardly from its upper surface and the third panel has asocket that receives the projection.
 6. A display stand according toclaim 5 wherein the upper edges of the first and second panels aregenerally coplanar.
 7. A display stand according to claim 6 wherein theupper edge of the first panel is inclined and the upper edge of thesecond panel is horizontal.
 8. A display stand according to claim 5wherein the first panel has a vertical slot that opens upwardly and thesecond panel has a vertical slot that opens downwardly; and wherein theslot of the first panel receives the second panel and the slot of thesecond panel receives the first panel.
 9. A display stand according toclaim 8 wherein the first and second panels have lower edges that arehorizontal and coplanar.
 10. The display stand according to claim 3 incombination with a shoe that rests on the third panel and is retained onthe third panel by the pin.
 11. The combination according to claim 10wherein the shoe has a heel provided with a breast, and the heel bearsagainst the pin at the breast of the heel.
 12. A combination forerecting a display stand, said combination comprising: a longitudinalupright panel having a horizontal bottom edge and an inclined upperedge, the longitudinal panel also having a tab that projects upwardlybeyond its upper edge and a slot that opens upwardly; a transverseupright panel having a horizontal bottom edge and a horizontal upperedge and also a slot that opens downwardly; the slot of the longitudinalpanel being capable of receiving the transverse panel and the slot ofthe transverse panel being capable of receiving the longitudinal panel,all when the upright panels are oriented crosswise with respect to eachother, an upper panel having an opening that is capable of receiving thetab on the longitudinal upright panel so that the upper panel can reston the upper edges of the upright panel with the tab projecting throughthe inclined panel; and a retaining element capable of engaging the tabon the longitudinal upright panel to prevent the panels from separating.13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the longitudinalupright panel has a projection directed upwardly from its upper edge andthe inclined panel has a socket capable of receiving the projection. 14.A shoe riser comprising: a longitudinal upright panel having ahorizontal bottom edge and an inclined upper edge, the longitudinalpanel also having a vertical slot that opens out of its upper edge and atab that projects upwardly beyond its upper edge; a transverse uprightpanel oriented crosswise with respect to the longitudinal panel andhaving a horizontal bottom edge and a horizontal upper edge, and also avertical slot that opens out of its bottom edge, the transverse panelbeing engaged with the longitudinal panel, with the slot in thetransverse panel receiving the longitudinal panel and the slot in thelongitudinal panel receiving the transverse panel and the bottom edgesof the upright panels lying in a common horizontal plane and the upperedges lying in a common inclined plane; an inclined upper panel restingin the upper edges of the upright panels and having an opening thatreceives the tab of the longitudinal upright panels; and a retainingelement that extends through the tab of the longitudinal upright paneland over the inclined upper panel to prevent the panels from separating.15. A shoe riser according to claim 14 wherein the longitudinal uprightpanel has a projection directed upwardly from its upper surface and theinclined panel has a socket that receives the projection.
 16. A shoeriser according to claim 14 wherein the retaining element projectstransversely beyond both sides of the tab to provide a stop that iscapable of underlying a shoe and preventing the shoe from sliding offthe inclined panel.
 17. The shoe riser according to claim 16 incombination with a shoe that rests on the inclined panel and engages theretaining element.
 18. The combination according to claim 17 wherein theshoe has a heel and a sole, with the heel having a breast that ispresented toward the sole; and wherein the heel rests on the inclinedpanel with its breast at the retaining element and the sole rests on theinclined panel below the retaining element.